Founded in 1994 as one
of the first NSF Materials Research Science and
Engineering Centers, the Center
for Sensor Materials embodies
interdisciplinary materials research with
emphasis on sensing applications. The CSM shares
its four major facilities with campus users and
with a national network of 24 MRSEC's, extending
its research capabilities throughout academia and
the industrial sector.

Under the aegis of the
National Science Foundation, the CSM Microfabrication Facility
was opened to users in 1996. The 1200 square foot
facility consists of a Class 1000 cleanroom for
photolithography; a room dedicated to electron
beam lithography, and an area for sample
preparation, metalization, and processing. The
Microfabrication Facility exists as a unique
research and training environment on the Michigan
State University campus, bring together students,
faculty, and industrial scientists. In 1998, the
facility was named the W. M. Keck
Microfabrication Facility in recognition of the
support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
The facility was located on the basement level,
Room 36, of the old Physics and
Astronomy Building.

Recognizing its importance, Michigan State
University has constructed a new home for the facility.
In October 2002, the facility moved to its
current location (B142, BPS Building) inside the new Bio-Physical Science Building on
MSU campus. The new facility have more than three times
the space of the old facility. It features a Class 100
cleanroom for photoresist preparation and photolithography,
three bays for scanning electron microscopy and electron beam
lithography, and a vastly increased space for installing the
needed vacuum systems for thin film preparations and characterization.
The new facility is also located at the center of academic
buildings on MSU campus, therefore is more easily accessible.